Tower Insurance 2026: Quashed Ultimate Kiwi Review
Quick preview: This article explains what Tower Insurance’s policies cover in real terms, shows the situations where Tower Insurance makes the most sense, explains the exclusions and excess mechanics that commonly trip up claimants, and gives a step-by-step way to check — with Quashed tools — whether switching to Tower Insurance could save you money.
Why this matters
Tower Insurance is a major New Zealand insurer with clear cover tiers, flexible excess options and a straightforward digital claims process. Beyond car insurance, Tower Insurance also provides home, contents, landlord, and travel products, and this review considers Tower Insurance's overall strengths as a full-service general insurer.
This guide explains, in simple terms, what Tower Insurance offers. It also provides guidance on how to test whether switching to Tower Insurance could save you money using Quashed.
Ready to see if Tower Insurance saves you money on car insurance?
Estimate likely savings for all Quashed insurers now with the Quashed Car Insurance Savings Calculator: Car Insurance Savings Calculator
Compare your Tower Insurance policy side-by-side with live market quotes using the Quashed Market Scan: Market Scan — Compare Live Quotes
What Tower Insurance’s car insurance policies actually mean — real-world explanations
Cover type | What the insurer pays | Who this may be right for |
Comprehensive | Covers repair or replacement after accidents, fire, theft, vandalism and natural events, plus third-party liability. Tower Insurance allows customers to choose between agreed value or market value when insuring their vehicle, a key highlight! | Newer or high-value cars, financed vehicles, or anyone wanting broad protection and minimal financial risk. |
Third Party, Fire & Theft (TPFT) | Includes liability cover and protection if your car is stolen or damaged by fire, but excludes accidental damage to your own vehicle. This is detailed in the TPFT Policy. | Mid-value cars where theft/fire risk matters but full comprehensive premiums aren’t justified. |
Third Party Only (TPO) | Provides liability cover only for damage you cause to others. No cover for damage, theft or fire affecting your own vehicle, as shown in the Third Party Policy. | Low-value cars, occasional drivers, or situations where higher cover isn’t financially practical. |
Important: Comprehensive cover isn’t always the best financial choice. If your vehicle’s market value is low compared with your annual premium and excess, Tower Insurance’s Third Party, Fire & Theft or Third Party Only cover can make more financial sense.
For a deeper explanation of when downgrading is financially sound, read Quashed’s guide: Switching to Third-Party Car Insurance: Is It Worth It?
How Tower Insurance car excesses work — compulsory, voluntary and additional excesses explained
Your total excess is the amount you need to contribute toward a claim. Tower breaks this down into three categories that may apply to your policy:
Compulsory Excess: The base amount Tower Insurance requires for your specific vehicle or policy type.
Voluntary Excess: An optional amount you choose to add. (Choosing a higher voluntary excess lowers your regular premium, but costs more at claim time).
Additional Excesses: Specific surcharges applied to certain drivers (e.g., inexperienced drivers or international license holders).
*The "One Event — One Excess" Rule Under Tower’s policy, if a single incident causes loss or damage to multiple items you have insured with them (e.g., your car and your house), you will only pay one excess for that event—whichever is the highest single applicable excess.
Example for standard compulsory excess claim — The real cash effect
Here is how the costs settle in a standard claim scenario:
The Scenario You are in an accident that causes $6,000 worth of damage to your car only. Based on your policy, your applicable excess is $600.
Breakdown | Amount |
Total Claim Cost | $6,000 |
Your Contribution (Excess) | $600 |
Paid by Tower | $5,400 |
Common car exclusions & claim pitfalls
Tower Insurance’s policies share several exclusions that commonly lead to declined or reduced payouts:
Undeclared modifications — Performance upgrades or non-standard parts need to be listed on your certificate, or they may not be covered.
Alcohol, drugs, or unlicensed driving — Claims are often declined if the driver was impaired or not properly licensed.
Using your car for ride-share or commercial work — Personal-use policies won’t cover you if you’re carrying paying passengers or using the vehicle for business without the right cover in place.
Wear and tear or mechanical failure — Gradual damage, breakdowns, and maintenance issues aren’t covered.
Slow theft reporting — Theft or vandalism must be reported to police and Tower Insurance promptly or cover may be affected.
For the exact wording and full exclusion list, you can check Tower Insurance’s official policies here: Comprehensive Policy PDF, Third Party, Fire & Theft Policy PDF, and Third Party Only Policy PDF.
What Tower Insurance’s other insurance policies actually mean — real-world explanations
Cover type | What the insurer pays | Who this may be right for |
House Insurance | Covers repair or rebuild costs after fire, storms, flooding, burglary, vandalism, natural events and accidental damage, and includes temporary accommodation and legal liability — details in Tower Insurance’s House cover. | Homeowners wanting broad, event-based protection and clear rebuild/temporary-accommodation terms. |
Contents Insurance | Pays to repair or replace belongings after theft, fire, storms, accidental damage and natural events, with optional specified-item limits for high-value goods — see Tower Insurance’s Contents cover for limits. | Renters, families or homeowners who want dependable replacement cover for everyday items and valuables. |
Landlord Insurance | Protects rental properties from tenant damage, theft, accidental damage, meth contamination and major events, and includes loss of rent and landlord liability — review Tower Insurance’s Landlord Insurance policy for full details. | Property investors or landlords needing tenant-specific protections and rent-loss cover. |
Travel Insurance | Covers overseas medical costs, trip cancellations, delays, lost baggage, rental-car excess and emergency repatriation; plan options and limits are on Tower Insurance’s Travel pages. | Travellers who want straightforward medical and cancellation protection for domestic or international trips. |
Boat Insurance | Covers accidental damage, theft, fire, capsizing, collision and third-party liability for boats, motors and equipment — review Tower Insurance’s Boat policy for more details. | Boat or jetski owners needing physical-damage and liability protection on the water. |
When Tower Insurance may be right & when to compare more carefully
Tower Insurance may be for you if:
One stop shop coverage — Tower Insurance lets you manage car, home, contents, landlord, travel, and boat insurance under one digital portal, with consistent wording and straightforward claims.
Smart extras that reduce hassle — features like excess-free key/lock replacement, short-term replacement cars, windscreen cover without excess, and roadside assistance add real value across policies.
Tailored cover levels for each asset — for cars: Comprehensive for full accidental and event cover, TPFT for theft/fire without covering accidental damage, and TPO for liability-only. For home, contents, landlord, travel, or boats, Tower Insurance keeps coverage tiers easy to understand, so you can match protection to your needs without guessing.
Compare more carefully if:
Bare-minimum cover — if your vehicle is low-value, TPFT or TPO elsewhere may be cheaper. Small, no-frills home or contents bundles might also cost less with a niche provider.
High price sensitivity — small premium differences can add up. Compare real-world factors like hire-car caps, glass-excess handling, young-driver surcharges, or benefit limits to see which insurer delivers the most value based on your circumstances..
Specialist or high-risk situations — such as high-value boats, which Tower Insurance caps at $250,000 and limits to social racing as explained in their Comprehensive Boat Policy, or business-use vehicles excluded under their private car policies — may exceed Tower Insurance’s standard coverage. A specialist insurer could be more suitable.
Bottom line: Compare more carefully if you need bare-minimum cover, are highly price-sensitive, or have specialist or high-risk situations, such as high-value boats, business-use vehicles, or complex landlord properties. Choose Tower Insurance for dependable protection with strong liability cover and practical benefits; compare using the Quashed Market Scan to ensure it delivers the best value.
How to test Tower Insurance in 4 practical steps
Step 1 — Check car insurance savings. Enter your vehicle registration into the Quashed Car Insurance Savings Calculator to get an instant estimate of whether switching your car policy could save you money.
Step 2 — Run a Quashed Market Scan. For cars and other insurance types, input your details and this will show Tower Insurance’s policies side-by-side with other insurers so you can compare like-for-like.
Step 3 — Compare feature-for-feature. Check key protections and limits: excesses, temporary accommodation, hire-car or travel-medical caps, specified-item coverage, ride-share or business-use exclusions, and declared modifications.
Step 4 — Buy and confirm. If Tower Insurance meets your needs, start the new policy before cancelling the old one. Download each certificate, verify cover levels and excesses, and confirm any refunds or start-date details. Cancel your existing policy once your new cover is active.
Final verdict
Tower Insurance offers dependable, well‑structured protection across car, home, contents, landlord, travel, and boat policies. Their coverage tiers are easy to understand, their excess system is transparent, and practical extras — like excess‑free windscreen repair, lock/key replacement, and short-term replacement vehicles — deliver real value.
If you want one insurer that offers most general insurance covers you’ll need, then Tower could be a solid choice. That said, Tower Insurance isn’t necessarily the most cost-effective for everyone. If your car, house or contents is deemed higher risk, their risk-based pricing will kick in and can be very expensive. Therefore it’s wise to compare Tower Insurance's premium and payout trade-offs with other insurers.
Related articles from Quashed
